Card attachment for type-writing machines.



F. W. BUFF UM & M. A. CULLING. CARD ATTACHMENT FOR TYPE WRITING MACHINES.

Patented July 13, 1915.

APPLICAT'ON FILED SEPT.2I, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

F. W. BUFFUM'& M. A. CULLING.

CARD ATTACHMENT FOR TYPE WRITTNG MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.2T, 1914.

1.1%,129. Patented July 13, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F. W. BUFFUM & M. A. CULLING.

CARD ATTACHMENT FOR TYPE WRITING MACHINES.

APPLICATION man SEPT-21, 1914.

1,146,129, Patented July 13, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

entra n snares rarer Fttfitl.

FRANK W. IBUFFUM AND MERRITT A. CULLING, OF LOUISIANA, MISSOURI,

ASSIGNORS TO BUFFUM TOOL' COMPANY, OF LOUISIANA, MISSOURI, A GOR- POBATION OF MISSOURI.

CARD ATTACHMENT FOR TYPE-WRITING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1915.

Application filed September 21, 1914. Serial No. 882,800.

I To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FRANK W. BUFFUM such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to card attachments for typewriting machines, and particularly to attachments of the character mentioned which comprise means for holding a card,

envelop or, similar shaped object in an upi right positionein front of the platen of the l T ,ina'chine and feeding it verticallyfover the .25 tance from the place where the card is in-' sorted, fors'hifting said rollers into an inplaten Without bending the card.

The particular card attachment upon which our invention is an improvement comprises rollers forpressin-g the card against the platen and adevice arranged at one end of the carriage of the machine, some dis'- operative position preparatory to inserting the card in the machine. 1

Que object of our invention is to provide a card attachment for typewriting ma.-

chines in which'the means that shifts the card-holding-rollers into, an inoperative position. consists of a comparatively long member located adjacent the center of the carriage of the machine in such a position that the operator can shift the card-pressing rollers quickly and easily without reaching over to the end of the carriage.

Another object of our inven ion is to provide an attachment 'of the character described that comprises adjustable side guides of novel construction for holding a card, en

' velop or similar object in an upright. posi tion; andstillanother object is to provide a stencil card attachment for typewriting machines that comprises a novel means for supporting a roll of carbon paper which is adapted to be fed between the 0- rd and the platen of the machine, so as to cause the outline of the type to be printed on the card and thus enable the operator to see clearly the stencil thatis being made. 7 Other objects and desirable features of our invention will be out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a front elevational view of a typewriter machine equipped with a stencil card attachment constructed in accordance with our invenhereinafter pointed tion; Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the machine, showing the platen and some of the parts of our improved attachment in section; F ig. 3 is a top plan view of the ma chine; Fig. 4 1s a longitudinal sectional view of the roller-shifting member, said view-being taken on the line H of Fig. 3; Fig. 5

1s a cuss-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Ft 3, showing said roller-shifting member in its approximate normal. position Fig. 6 is a similar view, showing said member shifted so as to permit the card to be We have herein illustrated our invention applied to a standard Underwood typewrit mg machine and designed for use with a stencil .card; namely, a card having a center field of relatively thin paper or other suit able material which will be punctured or reduced in thickness at the places where the type of the machine strike same, so as to form'a stencil over which an inking roller can be run, such stencil cards being used extensively by publishers and advertising agencies for addressing purposes.

We wish it to be understood, however, that our invention is not limited to a card attachment for an Underwood typewriting machine or to an attachment for stencil cards, as our improved attachment can be applied to various kinds of typewriting machines and can be used in connection with various kinds of cards, envelops and other objects of a similar shape.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of our invention, A designates the carriage of a chine, B the platen and C the transversely extending member on the frame of the machine that acts as a guidfor the type arms D.

Our'attachment consists of a transversely disposed supporting member E on the carnserted; Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 5; Fig. 8

ty'pewriting mamachine.

the end guides F is provided at its rear riage that is detachably connected to the end members 1 of the carriage by means of removable fastening devices 2, as shown in Fig. 3, laterally adjustable guides F on the member E for receiving the end portions of the card, so as to hold it in an upright position and prevent the card from moving longitudinally of the-platen, a pair of rollers (i that press the card against the platen and a rockable member H for shifting the rollers into an inoperative position when it is desired to insert a card in the machine. The attachment herein shown also comprises a spool I for supporting a roll of carbon paper and means for mounting said spool on the carriage of the machine.

As shown in Fig. 1, the stencil card that is used in the machine is provided with a frame a; of cardboard or other suitable material that surrounds a field y of relatively thin paper which will be perforated or reduced suliiciently in thickness when it is struck by one of the type of the machine to act as a stencil card, said stencil card being held in an upright position in front of the platen by means of the guides F, and being pressed tightly against the platen by the rollers G, i

so that it will be fed vertically over the platen .when the platen is rotated either manually or by the line-spacing mechanism with which the machine is provided.

The transversely extending supporting member E is preferably angle-shaped in cross section, and the depending vertical leg 3 of same is arranged in such a position with relation to the platen that it will act as a support or backing for the upper edge portion ofthe card, as shown in Fig. 6, said leg or flange 3 being preferably provided with a gage composed of a number of horizontally disposed lines, as shown in Fig. 9, with which the upper edge portion of the card cooperates, as hereinafter described. The lower edge of the card is positioned in a groove l formed in the transversely extending type arm guide C on the frame of the The two end guides F which are adjustably mounted on the transverse supporting member E are provided with vertically disposed channel-shaped.portions 5 of relatively greater width than the thickness of the card, so as to enable the card to be poj sitioned in the machine quickly and easily, said channel-shaped portions 5 preventing the card from moving longitudinally of the platen. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, each 03' with a hook-shaped portion 6 that extends underneath the transverse supporting member E, and thus prevents said guide from becoming detached from the member E.

The rollers G are journaled in resilient arms 7 that are connected to the rdckable roller shifting member H, said member H extending lpngitudinally of the transverse supporting member E and being pivotally In the embodiment of connected to same. our invention herein shown the supporting member '15 is provided adjacent its ends with cent the ends of the shaft 9, as shown in" Fig. 4, exert pressure on the roller-shifting member H in a direction. (tending to normally hold said member in the position shown in Fig. 5;;but permitting'sai'd, member to be rocked'downwardly as shownin Fig. (3, so as to move the rollers G away from the platen. At the center of the rollershii'ting member H is a relatively long hand piece 12 that curves upwardly from the rear edge of said member and then projects forwardly over the transverse supporting member E, so as to form a roller-shifting device. which can be engaged easily by the operator during the operation of inserting a card, 1 without requlring the operator'to reach. over to one end of the carriage of the machine.

In fact, a card attachment of the construction above described makes it possible for e that the hand piece or finger piece of the roller-shifting device is arranged at theo em.

ter of the machine in close proximityto place where the card is insertee, the channel-. shaped guides 5 which receive the end por tions of the card being wide enough so that practically no skill or care is required on the part of the operator to insert the card prop erly.

The end guides F can be adjusted longi tudinally of the supporting member E so as to accommodate cards of different length, and the roller-carrying arms 7 are combined with said guides in such a manner that they will move with said guides when said guides are adjusted into a different position Each of the roller-supporting arms 7 is provided at its upper end with a horizontally disposed portion that is detachably connected to a block 13 carried by the rockable'member H, said block passing upwardly through an elongated slot let'in the transverse support ing member E, and also projecting through an opening in the portion of the end guide F that slides on the member E. The opening in the guide F, through which the block 13 passes, conforms accurately to the width of said block, so that the guide F will move Each of the blocks 13 is clamped to the rock in Fig. 9, and thus indicate to the Figs.

' the platen and the able member H by means of a bolt 13 provided at its lower end with a head 15 that lies underneath the member H and draws it tightly against the lower end of the block 13 when the nut 16 on the upper end of said bolt is tightened, the member H being provided with an elongated slot, as shown in Fig. 7, through which the bolt 13 passes, so as to provide for the longitudinal adjustment of the block 13. The nut 16 on the upper end of the bolt 13 is arranged above the horizontally disposed portion of the roller-carrying arm 7, and thus clamps same tightly against the upper end of the block 13, said roller-supporting arm being preferably provided with a rib 17, as shown in 5 and 6 that fits in a notch: in the upper end of the block 13, and thus prevents the arm 7 from turning or assuming such a position that the roller G thereon does not bear evenly upon the card. If desired, a spring 17 can be arranged in a pocket formed in the underside of the nut 16, so as to hold the rib 17 on the arm '7 snugly in the notch in the block 13 when the nut 16 is loosened preparatory to adjusting the roller and end guide. By loosening-the nuts 16 the blocks 13 can be adjusted longitudinally of the rockable member H, so as to vary the position of the end guides F and the rollercarrying arms 7, and thus adapt the machine to cards of different length. If desired, the transverse supporting member E may be provided with scales or graduation marks 18, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to assist the operator in adjusting the guides F in proper position. When the card is first positioned in the machine the upper edge of the cardwill aline with the line marked 1 of the scale on the depending flange 3 of the transverse supporting member E, and thus indicate to the operator that the type are operating on the stencil card adjacent the upper edge of the field of the card. Vhen the line-spacing mechanism of the machine is actuated, the card will be moved upwardly so as to bring the upper edge of same in alinement with the line on said scale marked 2, as shown operator the exact point on the card where the type are operating. 1

'T he spool I for carrying the roll of carbon paper '2 is arranged on the carriage of the machine in such a manner that the carbon paper can be led downwardly underneath the platen and thence upwardly around the platen, so that it will lie between card, as shown in Fig. 2,

and thus cause a clear impression of the type to be made on the thin paper center field of the stencil card, a shield 19 being provided for preventing the carbon paper from catching on the parts of the attachment that lie above the platen of the machine. Said spool is preferably formed by two telescoped tubes 1 20 and 21, each of which is provided at its outer end with an end flange thus pro ducing a spool that can be taken apart easily and also adjusted to accommodate carbon rolls of different width. A standard 23 that is connected to the carriage of the machine is provided with a horizontally disposed shaft or extension 24 on which the spool I revolves, the spool being locked in operative position on said shaft by means of a resilient member 25 on one of the end flanges 22 that snaps into an annular groove 26 in the outer end portion of the shaft 24. The standard 23 can be connected to the carriage of the machine in various ways. In the form of our invention herein shown, the standard 23 is 27 that partially surrounds a cross rod 28 on the carriage and enters a notch in the underside of said rod, and a sleeve 29, that is slidingly mounted on said standard is provided with a finger 30 that bears against one side of said cross rod 28 when the standard is in operative position, as shown in Fig. 2. When the sleeve 29 is raised high enough to carry the finger 30 out of engagement with the rod 28, the standard 23 can be disconnected from said rod, but when said sleeve is moved downwardly into the position shown in Fig. 2, the finger 30 on said sleeve grips the rod 28 tightly and thus, not only looks the standard to said rod, but also prevents'said standard from turning.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A card attachment for typewriting machines comprising a horizontal support and vertical end guides for holding a card in an upright position in front of the platen of the machine, a pair of devices for pressing the card againstthe platen of the machine, and means arranged at the center of the carriage of the machine in proximity provided at its lower end with a hook to the place where the card is inserted for supports and imparts positive movement to both of said devices and which is adapted to move said devices into an inoperative position without disturbing said card-holding means.

8. A card attachment for typewriting machines comprising a removable supporting member that extends transversely of the carriage of the machine, a laterally adjustable means on said supporting member for holding a card in an upright position in front of the platen of the machine, devices separate and distinct from said card-hold ing means for pressing the card against the platen of the machine, a rockable member on said supporting member that carries said devices and which is adapted to move said devices into an inoperative position without disturbing said cai-d holding means, and a finger piece or hand piece on said rockable member arranged adjacent the center of the carriage in proximity to the place where the card is inserted and projecting forwardly over said supporting member.

4. -A card attachment for typewriting machines comprising members for holding a card in an upright position in front of the platen of the machine, devices separate and distinct from said card-holding members for pressing a card against the platen of the machine, a rockable member on the carriage of the machine that carries said devices and which is adapted to move said devices into an inoperative position without disturbing said card-holding members, and means for enabling each of said devices and the particular card-holding member with which it cooperates to be adjusted longitudinally of the platen simultaneously when it is desired to vary the distance between said card-holding members. i

5. A card attachment for typewriting machines comprising means for holding a card in an upright position in front of the platen of the machine, devices separate and distinct from said card-holding means and capable of moving relatively to same in one direction for pressing the card against the platen of the machine, a rockable member extending transversely of the carriage of the machine above the platen for shifting said devices into an inoperative position without disturbing said card-holding means. and means for adjustably connecting said devices to said rockable member.

6. A card attachment for typewriting machines comprising end guides for holding a card in an upright position in front of the platen of the machine, a rockable member extending transversely of the carriage of the machine and arranged above the platen, resilient arms on said member separate and distinct from said end guides and capable of moving relatively to same,

said arms being provided with devices for pressing the card against the platen of the machine, and means for enabling each of said arms and the particular end guide with which it cooperates to be adjusted laterally simultaneously so as to vary the distance between the end guides.

7. A card attachment for typewriting machines comprising end guides v for holding a card in an upright position. in front of the platen of the ,machine, dej vices'for pressing the card against the platen of the machine, resilient arms separate and distinct from said end guides that carry said devices, a rockable member on the carriage of the machine, and laterally adjustable parts on said rockable member that carry said arms and to which said end guides are operatively connected.

8. A card attachment for typewriting machines comprising a transversely disposed supporting member on the carriage of the machine, laterally adjustable end guides on said member having portions for holding a card in position, a rockable member on the carriage, resilient arms on said rockable member separate and distinct from said end guides provided with portions for pressing the card against the platen, said arms being capable of rocking without disturbing said end guides, and means whereby each of said arms and the particular end guide with which it cooperates can be adjusted laterally simultaneously;

9. A card attachment for typewriting machines comprising a transversely disposed supporting member of angle shape in cross section that is adapted to be connected to the carriage of the machine, a rockable member on the underside of said supporting member arranged above the platen of the machine and provided with a finger piece that lies above said supporting member adjacent the center of the machine, resilient arms carried by said rockable member and provided with rollers for pressing a card against the platen oi the machine, and laterally adjustable guides mounted on said supporting member.

10. A card attaclimentyfor typewriting machines comprising atransversely disposed supporting member that is adapted to be connected to the carriage of the machine, a rockable member on said supporting mem ber arranged above the platen of" the ma chine, resilient arms carried by said rockable member and provided with portions for pressing a card against the platen of the machine, laterally adjustable end guides on said supporting member separate and dis tinct from said resilient arms and provided with portions for receiving the card, and means for enabling each of said end guides and the particular arm that cooperates with member for platen, said said devices and machines comprising means .to said same to be adjusted laterally simultaneously so as to vary the distance between the end guides.

11. A card attachment for typewriting for holding a card in an upright position in front of the platen of the machine, a rockable member on the carriage of the machine, laterally adjustable blocks on said rockable member, resilient arms carried by said blocks and provided with rollers for pressing the card against the platen of the machine, and adjustable end guides having openings through which said blocks pass.

12. A card attachment for typewriting machines comprising means for holding a card in an upright position in front of the platen of the machine, extending transversely provided with a shaft,

a supporting member of the carriage and a rockable member on said shaft that is arranged above the platen, devices carried by said rockable pressing the card against the mg toward and away from the platen while said card-holding means remains at rest, and coiled springs on said shaft that normally hold said rockable member in such a devices exert pressure on the card.

13. A card attachment for typewriting machines comprising a rockable member extending transversely of the carriage and arof the machine, laterally adjustable devices slidably mounted on said member, resilient arms carried by provided with rollers for pressing a card against the platen, and mean s for defiachably connecting said arms evices. 14. A card attachment for typewriting machines comprising a manually-operated arms to said devices,

rockable member ex ending transversely of the carriage and arranged above the platen of the machine, laterally adjustable devices on said member that are adapted to be adjusted toward and away from each other, resilient arms carried by said devices and provided with rollers for against the platen, means, for clamplng said and {neans for rel g; venting said arms from turning with reladevices being capable of mov-' pressing a card tion to said devices in such a Way that the rollers will not lie parallel to the platen.

15. A card attachment for .typewriting machines comprising a supporting member connected to the carriage of the machine and extending transversely of same, a transverse shaft carried by said supporting member, a rockable member hung on said shaft below said supporting member and provided with a finger piece or hand piece that lies above said supporting member adjacent the center of the machine, and resilient arms carried by said rockable member and provided with rollers for pressing "a card against the platen. I

16. A card attachment for typewriting machines comprising a supporting member connected to the carriage of the machine and extending transversely of same, a transverse shaft carried by said supporting member, a rockable member hung on said shaft below said supporting member and provided with a finger piece or hand piece that lies above said supporting member, resilient arms carried by said rockable member and provided with rollers for pressing a card against the platen, and laterally adjustable end guides on said supporting member separate and distinct from said resilient arms and provided with channel-shaped devices for receiving the end portions of the card, said end guides remaining at rest when said rockable member is actuated.

17. A card attachment for typewriting machines comprising a transversely disposed supporting member on the carriage of the machine provided with .a portion that forms a backingfor the upper edge portion of a card and thus holds it in an upright position in front of the platen; of the machine, and a scale on said portion that cooperates with the upper edge of the card to indicate the place where the type act on the car In testimony whereof, 'we" hereunto afiix our signatures in the nesses, this {18th day of September, 1914. p

' FRANK W5 BUFFUM.

MEnnIfr-irn. o LL-INe. Witnesses:

LEWIS Fninn, F. B. MOSELEY.

presence-oftwo wit- 

